Bailer



P. G. GATES BAILER March 30, 1937.

' Original Filed May 6. 1933 lReuma T'Mn. Aso, 1937 UNITED STATES lm'rlezu'i"v OFFICE BAILER Paul G. Gates, Long Beach.

origina No. abooaso, amd May 1. 1935, serial No. 669,707, May 1933. Application for reissue January 27, 1937, Serial No. 122,606

20 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to improvements in bailers, which have been primarily designed for hailing wells.

An objct of the present invention is to provide an improved iorm of bailer wherein there are two chambers, the lower of which constitutes a receiving chamber and the upper of which constitutes an air chamber. A valve'is disposed between the chambers capable of establishing or breaking communication between them. When the bailer is lowered into the well the valve remains closed, confining air in the air chamber at atmospheric pressure. Aone way valve provides ingress into the lower or receiving chamu ber so that as the bailer is lowered into the well the pressure within the lowerv or receiving chamber is equal to` that of the weight of the column of uid in the well above the bailer and through which the bailer is submerged. On encountering resistance, such as debris in the bottom of the well, the valve is automatically opened, allowing the uid in the lower .or receiving chamber to rush suddenly into the air chamber. c ompressing the air confined therein due to the high pressure at the bottom of the well, with the result that this sudden rush causes the lower or receiving chamber to be filled with debris, such as sand, milling cuttings and the like.I

While this general principle of operation has been accomplished. heretofore, resort in prior devices has been had to the use of poppet valves controlling thepassage connecting the two chambers, the lpoppet valve being connected to that'part of thebailer which encounters the resisting material in: the well and urged into closed position until the bailer is resisted by a spring. In such, devices the under side ofthe vpoppet ilve has imposed thereon the pressure at the bottom of the well which is unequalized by the pressurein the air chamber. This-inequality of pressures is overcome by a spring.

However, in such devicesa very fine adjustment of spring is required, especially in-bailing deep" y wells inasmuch as great inequality of pressures spring is made strong enough to overcome this resistance dimculty may be encountered in opening the valve against the action of the spring when the bailer reaches the bottom oi' the well.

An object of the present invention consists in thedevelopment of a bailer which does not employ (Cl. 166-19) A equal pressures acting on the valve during its lowering. The present invention contemplates pressures imposed and on encountering Athe re- Sistance the valve will beI caused to easily open with certainty.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bailer of extremely simple and durable 'construction wherein the space on the interior of the bailer is utilized to great advantage, enabling 1 each trip of the bailer to pick up a maximum load.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction wherein the weight of the upper chamber forming means, which may be considerable,'being one or more'lengths of pipe, is utilized at the bottom of the well to open the valve con- .troliing the passage which establishes communication between the .load chamber and the air chamber.l In this way by using the .weight of the upper chamber forming means itself to efsurance that the valve Will be open when the bailer lands so'that there is no danger of the construction sticking or binding and preventing the proper operation of the construction when the bailer reaches the bottom of the' well.

Another .object ofthe invention is to provide a bailerv of suchdesign that it will not be dangerous when it is recovered from the well and is about topbe opened at the surface. The present design is such that when the bailer is withdrawn from th'e well there is no danger of the entrapped high pressure, which is ultimately used to expel the contents ofthe bailer, .being inadvertently refect an opening of the valvev there is great asleased,v causing injury, as long as the bailer remainssuspended. A

With -the foregoing and other oblects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description, andfspeciilcally pointed out in the appen'dedclaims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

' Fig. l is a` partial view in vertica section through the .improved bailer, illustrating the bailer in 'suspended position or in that position that it assumes on being lowered intothe well.'

Fig. 2 is a partial view in vertical section illustrating the position of the bailer after it landed or encountered resistance at the bottom of the well.

u of the sub 22.

I Fig. 3 is al horizontal section taken substan- .tially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

in reference characters designate similar 5 parts throughout, the improved bailer consists oi a suitable construction providing two chambers, the upper chamber being indicated at I3 and the lower chamber being indicated at -I I. The upper chamber may be formed oi a suitable length of 1'0 pipe, which is preferably reasonably long so as to give desired weight to the upper chamber formlngflmean'spifl'ihe. upperrend -of this pipe; indi- ,cated'at nfis'cled by a p1ug la through which s there is a passage Il normally closed by a relief valve. While the construction of the relief valve ,"may vary, it is illustrated as consisting of a ball I5 designed to seat in the upper end of passage Il and urged into seating position by a spring I6. The ball I1, which is attached tothe plug, forms a means by which the bailer can rbe suspended from a cable. 'Ihe lower` end of the pipe I2 has 'the upper end of a. hollow stem I8 threaded into it. 'I'his stem, which has a. bore- I9 extending downwardly therethrough from its Iupper end, has

ports 2,0 and 2l formed therein which terminate v on the sides of the stem. The stem telescopes into .a sub 22. ILeakage between the top of the sub and the stem lis prevented by means of packing 23 confined and compressed around the stem by means of a gland 24. The lower end of the stem IB-is o! reduced diameter, as indicated at 25, and surrounding this portion packing rings 26 and steel rings 21 are disposed which are designed to pack oi the lower endv of the stem in the bottom of lsub 22. These packing rings are urged into uppermost positionby means of a spring 28 conned-about portion 25 by means of a nut 29. The nut 29 is of such diameter as to be engageable with the bottom of the sub 22 to limit upward sliding movement ofvstem I8 within the sub. Immediately above nut 29.v there may be a ring 29;* presenting an outer beveled surface adapted to seat against a beveled seat 29b on the bottom of tubular member or sub 22. This tapered seat is formed at the very bottom of the tubular member. Downward sliding movement oi stem I3 through the sub is limited by the engagement of shoulder 3l with the top of gland 24. yIn the notedthat the ports 20 and 2i are opposite the interior of vsub 22. The lower end of the sub is stem-,is in its lowermost position the ports-2li and 0.2i are opposite this tapered portion or therebelow, as shown in Fig. 2. 'Ihe tapered portion 3i facilitates entry of the packing` rings back into the sub when the stem i8 is pulled. up into the subA from the position shown in Fig; 2. The use 60,0! the ring ZBBKand-the tapered seat 29b is not essential ii'` the hollow stem has a close sliding iit with the linterior of sub 22 or adequate packing is employed as lat 26 and 21. Conversely where the ring 29 and seat 25|b are used it isnot essen- 65 tial to usethe packing at26 and 2l or to have an extremely close sliding fit between thehollow stem and the sub. However, wheres. close sliding fit is employed, andin addition thereto packlng, and in addition to these ring 29* and seat 2lib are also used', there is triple security against leakage of pressure into the air chamber I0 during the lowering of the bailer intol the well.

Ihe lower chamber is provided by a suitable length of pipe 32 threaded onto the lower end At its bottom it carries a one way to the accompanying drawing, where- Auppermost position, as shown inFig; 1, it will be` ftapeled out as indicated at 3| and when thev valve 33 providing ingress tu the lower chamber. This type of bailer valve maybe of any conventional construction. .In the walls o! pipe 32 there are formed a plurality of apertures 3l and surrounding this portion oi',y the pipethere is a ring 35 having corresponding apertures 33. 'I'hese apertures can be caused to register with apertures 34 or to be thrown out 'of registry therewith to open and close chamber II respectively. Near the upp'er end o1' chamber II pipe 32 has an outlet 31 formed therein. This is normally closed-`byan outwardly opening ,check valve 33 which is urged into closed position by a spring 23. A ring is rotatable about the pipe 32 and carries a ringer Il. On rotation of ring 40 the finger 4I can be caused to disengage spring 39 so that valve 38 can open outwardly against theaction of the spring. When ring 4|) is rotated so as to position linger 4I over the spring, the outwardly opening check yvalve 38 can be locked in closed position.

'The operations and advantages of the improved bailer are as follows: When the bailer is originally lowered into the well both chambers are filled with air. Inasmuch as the bailer is suspended the upper chamber will Iassume its uppermost position with respect to the lower chamber as shown in Fig. 1. Ring 40 is rotated into a position to disengage nger Il from spring 39. As the bailer is lowered into the well, lower chamber Il may ll with liquid and as it continues its downward movement in the well the increased pressiire causes whatever air may have been entrappedin the lower chamber to be expelled through outlet 31. Inasmuch as the upper chamber I0 is isolated from the lower chamber during this lowering movement while the bailer is suspended, the air conned within chamber I0 is maintained therein at atmospheric pressure. At the bottom of a deep well the difference between this atmospheric pressure and the external pressure of liquid in the well due to the weight of the column of liquid thereabove will be considerable. When the lower pipe 32 reaches the bottom oi' the well and has its downward movement arrested. the momentum and principally the weight of pipe I2 .causes the upper chamber to move downwardly with respect to the lower chamber and assume the position as' shown in Fig. 2. Although the stem I8 enters the lower chamber II during this movement, 'which has been previously illled with 4 vincompressible liquid during the lowering of the bailer, the incompressible liquid entrapped in lower chamber I l does not prevent the downward movement of the stem inasmuch as escape may be had past check`valve 38.. In this position communication is established through the hollow stem-from the lower chamber Il to upper chamber I0 and on the establishing of this communication, inasmuch as there is a high pressure in chamber II and only'atmospheric pressure in chamber I0, there is a sudden upward rush of liquid through chamber I I compressing the air in chamber I0 into a very small volume and bringing its pressure up to the pressure of the liquid atfthe bottom of the well. This suddlen upward rush of liquid in chamber II causes sand, debris, steel milling cuttings and the like, to be drawn into lower chamber I I and to be entrapped ltherein by the one way valve 33.l The bailer is then pulled up to the surface and'on its initial upward movement the chambers separate from each other, that is the upper chambermoves upward- ,ly with respect to the lower chamber from the position shown in Fig. 2 back into the position shown in Fig. 1. This again isolates the chamber II from chamber Il. As the bailer approaches the surface of the well the external pressure becomes relieved and becomes smaller than the entrapped pressure within chamber itl. This is partially equalized by escape taking place past relief valve I5. However, spring i8 is suillciently strong to cause a certain degree of pressure to remain in chamber I0 over atmospheric pres- 10 sure and while this pressure which is maintained in chamber lll bythe relief valve may vary, it normally will be between 100 and 200 pounds per square inch. As long as the bailer remains suspended by the cable, it will be noted that the upper chamber I0 having this retained pressure therein remains isolated from lower chamber II so that there is no danger of inadvertently allowing this pressure to escape and to create any injury as long as`the bailer remains suspended.

When the bailer has been recovered, ring 35 is rotated to cause its apertures. 36 to register with apertures 34. This opens bottom chamber il. On lowering the bailer onto a derrick floor, the upper chamber is again placed in communication 2J with the lower chamber and the retained pressure in the upper chamber is effective to expel and blow out the contents of the bailer. Previous to this blowing out operation it is advisable to rotate ring l0 so as to position nger 4i 'over spring 39 and thus lock check valve 33 closed so that the pressure will not tend to blow the contents of the baile; out through port 3l. Qn again rotating rings and I0 so as to close apertures 34 and to unlock check valve 38, the bailer is ready to make a second trip into the well.

In the improved construction it will be noted that any great inequality of pressures between the interior of air chamber Ill and the interior oi loading chamber I I having the pressure equal to that on the exterior of the bailer has no effect on the valve controlling communication between the chambers, which is sometimes detrimental in constructions employing poppet valves. Consequently the improved bailer can be lowered to any depth without danger of communication being established between the chambers until the bottom of the well is reached or until the bottom chamber has its downward movement arrested. On reaching the bottom of the well or on arresting the downward movement of the lower chamber, the weight of pipe I2 is always Aoperable to cause stem IB to slide downwardly through sub 22 and establish communication between the chambers. Consequently inv the improved construction no ilne adjustment oi' springs is required nor is any o diil'erent adjustment necessary on lowering the bailer into wells of different depths.

In the improved construction also it will be noted that av large ample loading chamber is provided enabling the bailer to withdraw a'large load from the well on each trip. Furthermore inasmch as the landing of each bailer causes a very sudden upward rush of liquid through the loading chamber, a maximum quantity of debris,

which it is desired to bail out, is recovered.

It will be noted that the improved construction also utilizes the weight of the parts which form chamber I0 to eiect an opening of the passage which establishes communication between the loading chamber and the air chamber. In this way the weight of these parts, which may be the weight of one or more sections of pipe, insures an opening of the valve regardless of any tendency that there might be for the construction to stick or bind at the bottom ot the well.

Inasmuch as the outer surface of the hollow stem is cylindrical; the connection between the load chamber and the air chamber is in reality a swivel enabling the air chamber, which is connected to the cable, to turn freely with respect to the load chamber. It is well known that when a long cable is subjected to tension, such as by the load of the bailer,`it tends to twist. vThis' twisting action on withdrawing the bailer does not involve a turning of the entire bailerV inasmuch as the air chamber may -swlvel freely with respect to the load chamber.

It will be noted also that the limited sliding connection between the two chambers forms a type oi jar so that if for any reason the load chamber should become stuck in the well there isan opportunity present in the construction of the bailer itself to jar the bailer loose. This is accomplished by raising and lowering the cable which involves a raising and lowering of the air chamber and on suddenly jerking the cable upwardly on each of its upward movements the nut 29 and the ring 2li*i will bump the sub 22 and load chamber upwardly, the sub 22 constituting an anvil.

Various changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as deilned by the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers telescopically connected together, a one way valve permitting ingress to the lower chamber, and a slide valve between the chambers operable by telescoping movement between' the chamber forming means for establishing and breaking communication between the chambers.

2. A bailer comprising means providing upper 'and lower chambers telescopically connected together, a one way valve permitting ingress to the lower chamber, and a slide valve between the chambers operable by telescoping movement between the chamber forming means for establishing and breaking communication between the chambers, said slide valve beingvoperable to establish communication between the chambers upon the lower chamber encountering resistance in -a well and causing the upper chamber to move downwardly with respect to the lower chamber.

3. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a one way valve permitting ingress to the lower chamber, means providing a limited sliding connection between the chamber forming means whereby the upper chamber may move downwardly with respect to the lower chamber when the lower chamber encounters resistance in a well, a valve between the chambers operable to establish communication therebetween upon downward movement of the upper chamber with respect to the lower chamber and to close upon upward movement of the upper chamber with respect to the lower chamber, means providing an openable outlet from the lower chamber, an outwardly opening check valvev for the lower chamber, and means for locking the checkvalve closed.

4. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers,` a one way valve permitting ingress to the lower chamber, means providing a limited sliding connection between th; chamber forming means whereby the upper chamber may move downwardlyk with vrespect to the lower chamber when the lower chamber encounters resistance in a well, a valve between the .upper chamber with respect to the lower chamber, a relief valve for the upper chamber adapted to relieve pressure entrapped in the upper chamber as the external pressure is reduced, means providing an openable outlet from the lower chamber, an outwardly opening check valve for the lower chamber, and means for locking the check valve closed.

5. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a hollow stem secured to one of the chamber forming means and slidably extending into the other with a sliding fit, means limiting the sliding movement of the chamber forming means relative to each other, said stem having ports on its sides which when thebailer is suspended are closed by the sliding fit but when the bailer is supported are open to establish communication between the chambers, and means providing a one way valve leading into 'the bottom of the lower chamber.

6.4 A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a hollow stem secured to one of the chamber forming means and slidably extending into the other with a sliding nt, means limiting the sliding movement, of the chamber forming means relative to each other, said stem having ports on its sides which when the bailer is suspended are closed by the sliding flt but when the bailer-is supported are open to establish communication between the chambers, means providing a one way valve leading into the bottom of the lower chamber, and means providing a relief valve for the upper chamber.

7. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a hollow stem secured to one of the chamber forming means and slidably extending into the other, means limiting the sliding movement of the chamber forming means relative to each other, said stem having ports on its sides which when the bailer is suspended are closed but when the bailer is supported are open to establish communication between the chambers, means providing a one way valve leading into the bottom of the lower chamber, a relief valve for the upper chamber, an outwardly opening check valve for the lower chamber adjacent its upper end, and means for locking the outwardly opening check valve closed.

8. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers telescopically connected together, and a slide valve between the chambers for establishing and breaking communication between the chambers, said slide valve being operable to establish communication upon lowering the upper chamber to the lower.

9. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a hollow stem 4extending downwardly from the upper chamber forming means, the llowereh'amber forming means providing a tubular part at its top in which the stem slidably tits, means limiting the sliding connection between thestem and tubular part, said stem having ports on its sides, which, when the bailer is suspended, arevclosed by the walls of the tubular part, but which are opened atl the bottom of the tubular part when the bailer has landed, and entrapping means on the bottom of the lower chamber providing for ingress of material to the bottom chamber and its entrapment therein.

i0. A bailercomprisingmeans providing upper and lowerchambers, a hollow stem extending downwardly from the upper chamber forming means, the lower chamber forming means providing a tubular part at its top in which the stem slidably tits, means limiting the sliding connection between the stem and tubular part, said stem having ports on its sides, which, when the bailer is suspended, are closed by the walls of the tubular part, but which are opened at the bottom of the tubular part when the bailer has landed, entrapping means on the bottom of the lower chamber providing for ingress of material to the bottom chamber and itsentrapment therein, and packing means between the top of the lower chamber and the stem preventing leakage between the tubular part and the stem and to the ports when the ports are closed.

11. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a hollow stem extending downwardly from `the upper chamber forming means, the lower chamber forming means prov'lding a tubular part at its top in which the stem slidably fits, means limiting the sliding connection between the stem and tubular part, said stem having ports on its sides, which, when the bailer is suspended, are closed by the walls of the tubular part, but which are opened at the bottom of the tubular part when the bailer has landed, entrapping means at the bottom of Lthe lower chamber providing for ingress of material to the bottom chamber and its entrapment therein, means providing a valve head on the bottom of the stem and a cooperative valve seat on the 'bottom of the tubular part forming a secondary valve closure between the chambers when the bailer is suspended.

l2. A bailer comprising means providing upper and lower chambers, a hollow stem extending downwardly from the upper chamber forming means, the lower chamber forming means providing a tubular part at its top in which the stem slidably nts, means limiting the sliding connection between the stem and tubular part, said stern having ports on its sides, which, when the bailer is suspended, are closed by the walls of the tubular part, but which are opened at the bottom of the tubular part when the bailer has landed, entrapping means on the bottom or the lower chamber providing for ingress of material to the bottom chamber and its entrapment therein, and packing means between the lower chamber forming means and the stem, said packing means being arranged above and below said ports.

13. A bailer comprising means providing an upper chamber having a downwardly extending hollow stem, means providing a lower chamberhaving a portion closely fitting about the stem and slidable thereon between limits, said hollow stem having ports on its sides which are disposed within the closely fitting portion so as to' be closed thereby when the bailer is suspended but which are open to the interior of the lower chamber when the bailer has landed, and means for entrapping material induced to enter the lower chamber.

i4. A bailer comprising means providing an upper chamber having a downwardly extending hollow stem, means providing a lower chamber having a portion closely tting about the stem and slidable thereon between limits, said hollow stem having ports on its sides which are disposed within the closelytltting portion so as to be closed thereby when the bailer is suspended but which are open to the interior of the lower chamber when the bailerhas landed. means for entrapping material induced to enter the lower chamber, there being packing means between the closely fitting portion and the stem arranged above the ports in the stem.

15. Abai1er comprising means providing an upper air chamber, means providing a lower en.- trapping chamber, one chamber providing means including a hollow stem movably extending into the other' chamber providing means. there being mutually engaging means on the stem and said other chamber providing means serving lto limit separating movement between the stem and said other chamber providing means, thus holding both chamber providing means assembled, there being one or more entrances to the stem arranged to be opened to establish communication between the chambers upon the air chamber descending relative to the entrapping chamber and to be closed when the air chamber is elevated relative to the entrapping chamber.

16. A bailer comprising means providing an upper air chamber, means providing a lower entrapping chamber, the air chamber providing means including a hollow stem slidably extending into the entrapping chamber providing means, there being mutually engaging means on the stem and entrapping chamber providing means serving to limit separating movement between the stem and the entrapping chamber providing means, thus holding bothv chamber providing means assembled, there being one or more lateral entrances to the stem arranged to be opened to establish communication between the chambers upon the air chamber descending relative to the entrapping chamber and to be closed when the air chamber is elevated relative to the entrapping chamber.

17. A bailer comprising means providing a lower entrapping chamber, means including a hollow stem movably extending into the entrapping chamber providing means forming an upper air chamber, there being an enlargement on the lower end of the stem engageable with the entrapping chamber providing means serving to limit separating movement between the chambers, there being one or more entrances to the stem above the enlargement arranged to be closed when the air chamber is in its uppermost position relative to the entrapping chamber and to be ,opened to establish communication between the chambers when the air chamber is moved downwardly relative to the entrapping chamber. v

18. A bailer comprising means providing a lower entrapping chamber, means including a hollow stem movably extending into the entrapping chamber providing means forming an upper air chamber, means providing a beveled valve on the stem near the bottom thereof engageable with the valve seat in the top of the entrapping chamber, there being one or more lateral entrances to the stem arranged to be closed when the air chamber is in its uppermost position relative to the entrapping chamber and to be opened to establish `communication between the chambers when the air chamber is lowered relative to the entrapping chamber.

19. A bailer comprising means providing a lower entrapping chamber, means including a hollow stem movably extending into the entrapping chamber providing means forming an upper air chamber, there being, one or more lateral entrances to the stem arranged to be closed when the air chamber is in its uppermost position relative to the entrapping chamber and to be opened to establish communication between the chambers when the air chamber is lowered relative to the entrapping chamber, and means on the stem engageable with the entrapping chamber providing means for limiting separating movement of the chambers.

20. A bailer comprising means providing a lower ventrapping chamber, means including a hollow stem movably extending into the entrapping chamber providing means forming an upper air chamber, there being one or more lateral entrances to the stem arranged to be closed when the air chamber is in its uppermost position relative to the entrapping chamber and to be opened to establish lcommunication between the chambers when the air chamber is lowered relative to the entrapping chamber, and said means providing a beveled valve surface on the stem below the entrances, there being a complementary beveled sury face on the entrapping chamber providing means engageable thereby for limiting separating movement of the chambers and serving when engaged to prevent ingress to the stem through the entrances.

PAUL G. GATES. 

